Installation of a drum band brake system onto a winch drum requires the winch drum to be installed before subsequent installation of the drum band brake system. As a result of installing the winch drum prior to the drum band brake system, one or more operators (hereinafter “operators”) are required to complete the subsequent drum band brake system installation within a substantially limited space created by dimensions and structural features of the winch drum. Thus, the limited space makes the drum band brake system installation significantly difficult, cumbersome and time consuming. Additionally, operators often experience difficulty installing the drum band brake system because of the significant weight associated with the drum band brake system. Further, operators often experience breakage problems when fixing the drum band brake system onto an adjustment thread rod associated with the winch drum.
After the winch drum and drum band brake system has been in use for sometime, a space or gap between a brake lining of the drum band brake system and winch drum, created by wear of the brake lining, must be manually determined by the operators which requires the operators to physically feel the space or gap between the brake lining and the winch drum. After physically feeling the space or gap and determining the amount of space or gap between the brake lining and the winch drum, the operators must manually adjust the brake lining and the drum band brake system to compensate for the amount of space or gap. Once manual adjustment of the brake lining is complete, the operators must verify the performance of brake lining of the drum band brake system by conducting performance tests of the brake lining and winch drum which are time consuming, costly and often unreliable. At times, the brake lining of the drum band brake system may stick to winch drum because of the occurrence of one or more chemical reactions between a surface of the brake lining and a surface of the winch drum. Moreover, a brake lining of a drum band brake system, traditionally, is in the form of a band that is made of a flexible material which is often difficult to remove or separate from the winch drum when sticking occurs between surfaces of the brake lining and winch drum.